Nishiura Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind Volume 2

1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-7183-1588-4
Verlag: J-Novel Club
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 0 - No protection

E-Book, Englisch, Band 2, 250 Seiten

Reihe: Pens Down, Swords Up: Throw Your Studies to the Wind

Allen Rovene has achieved his goal of getting into the prestigious Royal Knight and Mage Academy of Yugria. Now all he needs to do is realize his clichéd reincarnation dream...by figuring out how to cast Emissive Magic! Sage Godolphen has promised to introduce him to a teacher who might have an idea or two about how to achieve that, but first Allen will have to prove himself to the old man, all the while avoiding getting roped into trouble by his classmates along the way. Easier said than done, because Class 1-A seems stubbornly intent on inserting themselves into every aspect of his new life! Determined to sample everything his new world has to offer, Allen doesn't want to be tied down by anything-but somehow, the path to becoming an awesome mage seems to lead straight into a career with the Order of the Royal Knights... Will Allen ever manage to cast a fireball, or is he doomed to yet another unfulfilling life as a corporate slave?

Autoren/Hrsg.

Nishiura, Mao

Weitere Mitwirkende

Maro

Nelson, Emily

Leseproben

Chapter One: The Standard Dormitory, and My First Equipment

Life in the Dorm (1)

Now that I’d successfully registered as a G-Rank at the Explorer’s Guild, I could finally safely consider my first expedition complete. After I bid Reed farewell, I continued on my way back to the dorm. The yet-uneaten hind legs of the horned rabbit we’d hunted dangled from where I’d tied them to my wooden sword’s crossbar.

It had been two weeks since I’d been admitted to the Royal Academy. Certain circumstances had led to me nearly being demoted to Class E—which would have suited me just fine, by the way—until my classmates’ unwanted intervention had cemented my place in Class A. Per Academy rules, students in Class D or above could reside in the Noble Dorm for the same monthly board they would pay to live in the standard dorm—a paltry thousand riels. Considering the cost was identical, the sheer gulf in living conditions between the two dorms was staggering. From what I’d heard, the Noble Dorm was closer to a five-star hotel than a school dormitory, equipped with endless facilities and attendants to cater to one’s every need.

Since my enrollment in Class A was now official, I move into the Noble Dorm at any time without any increase in rent. However, I had no intention of moving out of the standard dorm. Better known as “the Doghouse” among students, it was home to very few residents. I had a couple of reasons for not wanting to move over to the Noble Dorm, but foremost among them was the Doghouse’s dorm matron, Thora, and the breakfasts she served up daily.

You see, Thora also worked as a researcher; she studied the effects of ingredients derived from monsters and how they could enhance one’s magical abilities when consumed. The meals she created were far from delicious—to put it frankly, they were disgusting. However, I was holding on to the hope that one of those ingredients might turn out to be the missing link I needed to one day become able to use Emissive Magic. Since I’d been blessed with a second chance at life, and in a magical fantasy world to boot, there was nothing I wanted more than to be able to cast a fireball, or some other fantastical spell.

Emissive

My research so far hadn’t unearthed any other leads, so at this point, a somewhat mediocre living situation was a compromise I was willing to make to keep my dream alive. Besides, when I thought about it, the conditions at the standard dorm weren’t all that different from my apartment back in Japan before I’d died, anyway.

I’d spent my previous life desperately searching for happiness or fulfillment, and I’d passed away from illness without ever finding them. I had no desire to waste even a minute of my second chance hanging around the Noble Dorm, listening to the peacocking of the resident rich kids (or so I imagined, anyway). I vastly preferred spending my time in the quiet, scarcely populated standard dorm, where I could actually focus on what wanted to do.

And what was it I wanted to do in this new world, you ask?

My first priority was exploring any and all leads that might allow me to cast Emissive Magic. On top of that, I wanted to continue to enjoy my new part-time job as an explorer and learn more about the world I’d landed in. I wanted to encounter more types of monsters and discover more of the yet unknown (to me) magical ingredients and materials that hid in the forests and fields of Yugria.

And, most important of all, I wanted to enjoy the “now.” I’d spent my previous life forcing myself to study, day in and day out, telling myself over and over again that it was all for my future. But I’d realized something as that life had drawn to a miserable end: There was no chance of a bright future for those who couldn’t enjoy the present. If I spent my new life bitterly working toward the promise of a good future again, without actually knowing what I wanted to do when that future came, I’d never be able to attain happiness.

???

In my daze of contemplation, I found myself back at the dorm before I knew it. I snapped out of it as I realized that, for some reason, four of my classmates were waiting at the entrance—Fey, Jewel, Kate, and Stella.

“Ah, good morning,” I said, as though I were a hiker passing another of their kind on the trail. I attempted to walk past the group and into the dorm. Unfortunately, Fey grabbed my wrist as I passed, a dangerous grin spreading across her face.

“Good morning, Allen! I just spoke to your dorm matron, and she said that you didn’t come home last night. Is that true? I was so worried about you when you didn’t show up to club practice this morning, and now I’m finding out you skipped out on the club set up, only to return from who-knows-where when the sun has already gone up?” Her tone grew more frenzied with each word. “Why, might I ask, did you try to run past me just now, hmm? Feeling guilty about something?” She was still grinning, but I could have sworn I could almost see the dark storm clouds gathering over our heads.

“It’s none of your business what I get up to. Let go of—ow! Why are you so strong?!” Fey’s Strengthening Magic was so powerful, I could barely move my wrist, let alone shake her off.

Stella sighed. “Look, he’s obviously on his way home from an overnight hunting expedition or something. Look at his sword—let me guess, a horned rabbit’s hind legs?”

“Huh? How did you know?” I was surprised she could tell that a random chunk of meat was from a horned rabbit so easily; she must have some experience as a hunter. My interest in her rose slightly.

“ didn’t doubt you, Allen, just so you know. said there was no way you were out playing around with girls. But Kate thought if you did somehow end up over in the pleasure district—well, with your status as a Royal Academy student and a top scorer to boot, she thought they’d be fawning all over you before you could even blink. She said there’d be nothing left of you by the time the sun rose... I just got a little worried, you know?” Fey’s viselike grip loosened slightly as she spoke.

“That’s right,” laughed Jewel. “Kate said, ‘Boys our age only have one thing on their minds. Once Allen’s had a taste of an older woman’s skills, we’ll never be able to drag him out of that district... Plus, with his abnormal stamina, he’ll be at it until the sun rises and the birds are singing outside the window.’ Well, once I’d heard that, I must confess I was concerned about the undue theft of your first . That’s why we’ve been waiting here—to hear an account of what happened last night from the boy himself.” She giggled daintily through her fingers.

I shot a glare at Kate, the purple-haired girl with glasses who had always given me a “student council president” vibe. She coughed. “Ahem. Stella is from the Achilles family—I’m sure you’ve heard of them, Allen? She’s got plenty of experience as a hunter.” Kate avoided my eyes and the previous topic alike as she steered the conversation back to the rabbit hind legs.

Led by Viscount Achilles, Stella’s family served as the custodians of the Darley mountain range in the kingdom’s northwest. The Darley range was still a fairly dangerous area today, but back in the earlier days of the kingdom, when monsters had been far more dangerous and plentiful than they were now, the Achilles family had gained renown as “the Defenders of the Darleys.” Because of their hunting prowess and bravery, the name Achilles was generally well-known among the people—which was particularly impressive for a kingdom with more viscounts than you could shake a stick at.

“Achilles... The Defenders of the Darleys, right? That explains it,” I said, nodding at Stella.

She blinked, apparently taken aback. “I think you’re probably the only person outside of my family who’d still know that old name. You been looking into me or something?”

I shrugged. “Isn’t that normal when you’re interested in someone?”

Stella’s face turned red in an instant. “What do you mean, i-interested?” she spluttered.

“Oh, he’s the aggressive type!” giggled Jewel. Kate let out a little squeal of excitement.

“Allen?” said Fey. Her previously slack grasp on my wrist clenched again suddenly—a steel hold so tight, I thought my bones would snap. “Do you really think I’m just going to let you hit on another girl right in front of me?”

“What’s going on out here?” barked another voice—Thora, emerging from the dorm before us. “The only thing this dorm’s got going for it is that it’s quiet, and now we don’t even have that! Oh, you’re back, sonny?” Apparently, the gutter-minded girls had been making so much noise, she’d been able to hear us from the matron’s...